Ares Management Announces First Quarter 2026 U.S. Direct Lending Origination Activity

Approximately $9.5 Billion in New Commitments Closed in the First Quarter and Approximately $53.0 Billion Closed in the 12 Months Ended March 31, 2026

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / May 1, 2026 / Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) announced today that Ares Credit funds (collectively “Ares”) closed U.S. direct lending commitments of approximately $9.5 billion across 70 transactions during the first quarter of 2026 and approximately $53.0 billion across 348 transactions in the 12 months ended March 31, 2026. Below is a description of selected transactions that Ares closed during the first quarter of 2026.

Encore Fire Protection / Permira

Ares served as an administrative agent, and joint lead arranger for a senior secured credit facility to support Permira’s continued growth plans for Encore Fire Protection. Encore Fire Protection is a provider of fire & life safety solutions including maintenance, inspection, repair, replacements and installation for alarm systems, sprinklers, and suppression equipment.

Loenbro / Kohlberg

Ares served as an administrative agent, lead arranger and bookrunner for a senior secured credit facility to support Kohlberg’s acquisition of Loenbro. Loenbro provides a full suite of mission-critical electrical, mechanical, and structural services across industries supporting the nation’s most essential infrastructure.

North American Science Association / ARCHIMED

Ares served as an administrative agent, lead arranger and bookrunner for a senior secured credit facility to support ARCHIMED’s continued growth plans for North American Science Association. North American Science Association is a global leading independent contract research organization exclusively focused on the research and development of medical devices.

Novaria / Arcline

Ares served as a joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner for a senior secured credit facility to support Arcline’s acquisition of Novaria. Novaria is a leading provider of niche engineered aerospace systems, fasteners, and coatings with ~86k SKUs offered across 22 operating businesses.

People Corporation / Goldman Sachs

Ares served as an administrative agent, joint lead arranger, and joint bookrunner for a senior secured credit facility to support Goldman Sach’s continued growth plans for People Corporation. People Corporation is a national provider of group benefits, group retirement and human resource services based in Canada.

Sunstar Insurance Group / Reverence Partners

Ares served as an administrative agent, joint lead arranger, and joint bookrunner for a senior secured credit facility to support Reverence Partners’ continued growth plans for Sunstar Insurance Group. Sunstar Insurance Group is an independent insurance brokerage firm focused on providing various coverage products to markets in the lower Midwest and Southeastern US.

Team Car Care / Triple JJJ

Ares served as administrative agent, sole lead arranger, and sole bookrunner for a senior secured credit facility and led a preferred equity investment to support Triple JJJ’s acquisition of Team Car Care. Team Car Care is the largest operator within the Jiffy Lube system, providing professional automotive preventive maintenance including signature oil changes, tire rotations, brake services, battery replacements, and other routine vehicle care.

TopGolf / Leonard Green & Partners

Ares served as an administrative agent, joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner for a senior secured credit facility to support Leonard Green & Partner’s acquisition of Topgolf. Topgolf is the #1 off-course golf experience featuring large tech-enabled entertainment complexes with all-weather hitting bays, a full bar and kitchen, and more.

About Ares Management Corporation

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to advance our stakeholders’ long-term goals by providing flexible capital that supports businesses and creates value for our investors and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of March 31, 2026, Ares Management Corporation’s global platform had over $644 billion of assets under management, with operations across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com.

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SOURCE: Ares Management Corporation

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